Tokyo Ghoul: Time Loop
by hoobab
Summary: My name is Dakota and I have a big problem. A BIG problem. I am stuck in a time loop in the universe of Tokyo Ghoul. Every time I die, I wake up in the same place but in a new timeline. I need help before I go insane. HELP ME! (SI/OC)
1. Chapter 1: Wake up!

Beep! Beep! Beep! The sound of my alarm wakes me with great annoyance. Then I realize the time it says, glowing in bright red. 7:27, I fail to register the numbers at first, my mind telling me to go back to sleep. Not until the clock stops beeping do I realize what time it is. I try to jump out of bed but my covers restrict my movements. I fight with them for a few minutes before finally achieving my freedom.

"GAHHH! Sorry, Mom! Shit, I'm late!" I holler with a gasp but whisper that last bit so my mom wouldn't hear me curse.

"7:27! Shit. Shit. Shit! My teacher is gonna have a field day with me! I'm so~ dead. This is the thirteenth time I've been late!"

"Mom! Mom! Oi, Mom! Could you make me some breakfast? I need to rush today!" I jump out of bed, successfully this time and wait for the inevitable lecture of sleeping in, but all that comes out of the hallway is the whoosh of air from the AC unit.

I hastily grab a comb and a toothbrush as I tentatively walk through the upper floor of our small apartment.

The house is surprisingly quiet for a Monday. Taylor isn't screaming at Kikki, our kleptomaniac puppy, for hiding her notebook or makeup set or whatever the hell happened on Sunday night. The radio isn't on, the TV isn't on, even Kikki isn't on with her high pitched yapping that makes me want to kick her in her perfect, cute, bitch face.

"Why the fuck did we get that dog in the first place? Oh yeah, Tay-Tay wanted a pomeranian puppy like that Internet sensation, Boo." I remembered.

The floor creaks eerily in the silence. Suddenly the small apartment doesn't seem so cramped and crowded.

"Mom? Taylor? Hello~?" I whisper in a shaky voice. Panic replaces the stress of getting to school minute by minute as I achingly creep down the stairs. It drips down my insides like acid and pooling in the base of my stomach. My stomach gurgles and acid sloshes inside making me regret eating those expired chips. I clench my middle with white knuckles and try to keep the nauseous feeling behind my throat.

"M-Mom, T-Tayl-lor. Guys, where are you?" My voice stutters and squeaks as I round into an empty kitchen.

I look around anxiously for them until the radio crackles to life.

I scream like a girl (and I'll admit that this isn't the first time) and literally jump six feet.

"Breaking news! Ghoul attacks have been high these past few months in the twentieth ward. People are advised to stay inside and limit evening outings." The radio breaks and buzzes in between but the voice is clearly Japanese.

"Japanese? Since when can I understand Japanese? Wait… Did it say twentieth ward? Like, as in twentieth ward of Japan? Am I in Japan?" These thoughts rush through my head and sudden I feel a bit woozy and disoriented.

I grab onto the countertop to avoid falling over. My breath seems to get caught in my throat and I struggle for air. Slowly but surely, I calm myself down, at least enough to start breathing again. Confident in my ability to walk once again, I push myself off the counter and stumble around the kitchen and into the living room.

"Apparently not," I remark to myself before bashing into the front door.

Desperately, I clutch onto the doorknob, trying my best not to take a tumble. Unfortunately for me, the door was unlocked and I twist the handle while trying not bust my ass. The door swings out and I loose my grip, falling forward and into the apartment hallway. I brace myself for the fall and scrape my hands terribly. Wincing in pain, I look at the bright side.

"Hey, at least I didn't fuck up my face." I laugh to myself then use the walls to help balance as I stand up.

I reach back into our apartment and close the door with a resounding thud. Then I slowly make my way down the hallway to the apartment staircase, using the wall for support. My breathing still hasn't returned to a normal rate and I was still freaking out inside. I stumbled a bit on the stairs, hoping no one had seen me as I pressed on.

Upon reaching the bottom floor, I weakly push the door open but I lose my balance and trip over the threshold and roll along the ground, scraping and bashing my arms, legs, and sides.

"Damn, this fucking sucks!" I think and push myself up again.

I don't realize where I am at first as a gray blur speeds past me.

"What the…?" I ask out loud.

Turning slowing at the sound of a honking noise, I see a car speeding right towards me. I freeze in fear; I can't move. I'm too afraid or too in shock to react to what is happening around me. The car is too close to stop now. It hits me… then black.

* * *

 **A/N: This is a collaberation with Cliffhanger247. I give credit to him as well. Please review and fav/follow. Thank you!**


	2. Chapter 2: Prepping

**Beep! Beep! Beep!** The alarm clock goes off. The red, blaring numbers of 7:27 glare from above me.

"GAAHHH!" I holler in shock, sitting up in my bed.

Wait… my bed? I look around and I'm in my bed and it's 7:27 still. I climb out of bed, not worrying about getting to school I look around my house, trying to find out if what just happened was a dream. I burst into my sister Taylor's room, holding my breath. But upon entering, I'm met with a tidy and clean room. Taylor never keeps it this way, it's always a mess. Panic starts to rise as I storm out of her room.

The radio once again crackles to life and a sense of dread builds up inside me. It repeats the same message it did earlier.

"Breaking news! Ghoul attacks have been high these past few months in the twentieth ward. People are advised to stay inside and limit evening outings." Once again in Japanese.

Bile rises in my throat at the mention of ghouls. It sounds so familiar so I rush back to my room and head for my untidy bookshelf. I scan over the titles for one certain manga I know deals with ghouls and uses the specific word 'ward'. I see what I'm looking for and snatch it off the shelf. Its title reads "Tokyo Ghoul".

My stomach twists in some sick combination of fear and excitement.

" _Why am I excited?"_ I ask myself.

It was a good question too. I've read this manga a few times, at first online until I could get my hands on the actually copies. If what I think is actually happening than I am either partially fucked or totally fucked.

"What to do? What to do?" I mutter softly under my breath.

I quickly flip through pages, reading all the nerdy notes I made about "Tokyo Ghoul". For example, what I would do in that situation, how I would have reacted in that situation, what choices I would have chosen if I were the character, or how I would have set the plot down. None of this shit is gonna help me now.

Thinking back on this, I realize, _"How did I even end up here in the first place? And how am I gonna get out?!"_

That panics me more than the fact that I am stuck in a world full of hidden, man-eating monsters. I need to prioritize and sort myself out. What is an eighteen year old kid who knows abso-fucking-lutely no one (except the characters of "Tokyo Ghoul") going to do in a rather large city of Tokyo?

" _Maybe I could've just try to find some of the characters?"_ I tell myself but honestly it seemed like more of a question.

I try to stand up but my legs still aren't working right and I fall down. "Ouch!" I whine at the sudden collision of my ass and the floor.

" _If I really am in the world of Tokyo Ghoul, then at what point of the story am I in?"_ I ask myself, this time I mean to ask a question. The more questions I ask myself the more I fill up with that terrible sense of dread.

"I don't wanna be eaten!" I shout out loud, knowing no one is around to hear my outburst. "Ugh," I take the manga that's in my hand and throw it violently back at the bookshelf. "This is utterly terrifying."

Using my bed as leverage I push myself to my feet and tried to walk. I did okay with the first few steps and I knew I could do it. So now instead of getting ready for school I was getting ready for ghouls!

* * *

Racing around my rather messy bedroom, I quickly scramble to pack my ex-school bag. In goes spare clothes, tons of bandages, money (somehow my American dollars turned into Japanese Yen), my phone (SIM card magically disappeared. Sad life.), camera, video camcorder (you never know when you need evidence), binoculars, notebook and pencil. Whew! That's just from my room! Ghouls, watch out! Dakota Walker and his trusty human weapons are coming for ya!

Wow! I am HYPED! Slowly, a grin I'd never thought would appear grows and I storm into Taylor's pink, teenage girl room. GAHHH! The smell of it makes me recoil in disgust. It smells of fucking roses and birthday cake! I mean who in their right mind would ever, EVER buy such fucking disgusting perfume?!

Holding my breath again, I walk through the now perfectly clear room. Black, glassy stares trail behind me as I pass neatly placed stuffed animals and porcelain dolls. I shiver in the sheer creepiness of the room and quickly walk to my destination; my bag dragging behind me.

Before me is a holy place, a temple, a sanctuary of… perfume and lotions! Ta-da! Taylor's precious collection of perfume and lotions only available in the forbidden Table of Scents. I'm sure she wouldn't mind if I took some or * _ahem_ * all.

I stare at my half-naked self in the mirror and breath in deeply. _"Let's do this thing!"_ I tell myself and reach for the first lotion, called Apple Spice. Gagging, I scoop a generous amount of gloop into my hand and splat it onto my pale, bony chest. Artificial apple and nutmeg wafts from the glop of substance on my chest. As I retch, I question myself why I am doing this.

"Right, survival. That is the only reason why I am torturing myself. Survival. Survival. Survival," I mutter over and over again, rubbing in the concoction of shit. Next comes rose, then honey, peach, orange, vanilla, lavender, grapefruit, every cream more nauseating than the last. I slather those putrid moisturizers on every inch of my body until I smell like a girl. That was only the first bit. Next comes the clothes. My skin crawls at the thought.

Puff, puff, puff. I puff the shit out of my clothes or until they smell of flowers. Now, I bet you're questioning why I am going through all this torture and thinking Well, here's my logic. If you cover your favorite food with something that taste like shit, you won't eat it. What's a ghoul's favorite food? Right, humans. And what am I? Right again, human! So, yeah, I'm ready to fuck the shit out of those motherfuckers. No, I'm just kidding! I'm making sure that the motherfuckers don't fuck the shit out of me! Jeez, it's not like I have a fucking quinque (that would be pretty damn cool though!)

I quickly pack another perfume (just in case a ghoul attacks me) and some pepper spray (I don't know if this affects ghouls or not? Never too late to try!). And I'm off! To who knows where! (Probably the 1st or 20th Ward, where ever they are.)

I look back at my house one last time, its sides crushed and warped to fit between two other buildings, and hop onto my bike. After looking both ways, I ride off into the city.

* * *

 **A/N: Sorry if this is really late but Cliff and I have been really busy sorry! Please review and fav/follow. THX!**


	3. Chapter 3: Interactions

**Dakota's POV**

"Oh shit!" I slap my head. Again. I am so fucking lost and about to lose my fucking mind! Fuck! I should have stayed home! Groaning, I back pedal to the nearest street sign and squint under the harsh spring sunlight. A leaf is stuck on tight on the left side of the sign making it _very_ difficult to read!

" _O-oyama?"_ My stressed brain hazily makes out. I knew I should have packed a better map!

It doesn't really matter if you can read the signs. As long as you don't know where these point to or even know where the fuck your destination is, it's basically the same thing as being lost. I don't even know where the fuck the 1st or the 20th Ward is!

Dragging the bike behind me, I stop and ask an elderly woman, "Ma'am, I-I, uh, I am a foreigner and I was just wondering where, uh, the 20th Ward is?"

The woman looks at me in a weird way, scrunches her nose and inches back from me whispering, "うわ！ボーイズ、これらの日！クレイジーなアイデアがいっぱい！不思議と彼はホームレスません!" ( **A/N: This means: "Ugh! Boys these days! So full of crazy ideas! No wonder he's homeless!" Please forgive the translation.)**

I blush deeply knowing that this is certainly the product of my morning prepping. How am I ever gonna get help if no one can take me seriously?! Sighing, I hop back onto my bike and head west. Maybe if I keep moving, I can reach somewhere.

After pedaling for like two fucking hours, I am drenched with sweat and smell like molding flowers. Every once in awhile, a person or a couple stares at me with a look of disgust. Every glance makes me insane! Not that it's their fault.

Oh God! This heat is absolutely killing me! Who knew that Japanese springs were so warm? What would I do for a nice ice cold glass of coke? Scratch that; I need a drink whether it's hot or cold. Right now I don't really fucking care what liquid I get!

I use my arm to wipe the sweat off my eyes. The place in front of me causes my breath to hitch. The characters are clear: あんていく. Anteiku, the legendary cafe from Tokyo Ghoul, is real. That one fact opens my eyes. It's all real. It's not a dream. I am stuck in Tokyo Ghoul.

The door makes a soft tinkle as I hesitantly enter the cafe. I am instantly bombarded with "Hello" and "Welcome to Anteiku". An old man smiles warmly from behind the counter and a violet haired waitress glares at me from a table. I know exactly who these people are. This is not good.

* * *

 **Touka's POV**

I stare at the young man that had just entered our cafe. His curly, brown hair drips with sweat and his curious blue eyes scans the room. He catches me staring and makes a gasping noise which surprises me because most customers don't find me that scary. But something about me shocks him. A sudden thought panics me, " _He doesn't know that I'm a ghoul! I mean he's ~ wait, what the fuck is that smell?! Ugh! He smells like a cosmetics shop!"_

The boy must notice my crinkled nose because his cheeks glow bright red and he quickly shuffles to a table. As he passes a certain empty table next to a window, he stiffens, looks around, then slides into the chair.

I walk to the young, weird smelling man and ask him what he wanted. Again he blushes but at the same time slowly inches away from me like I have a disease.. or am dangerous.

* * *

 **Dakota's POV**

" _Touka Kirishima. TOUKA KIRISHIMA IS FUCKING TALKING TO ME! ME! DAKOTA WALKER! I don't know if I should kiss her or beg for mercy. God, I'm so fucking nervous!"_

"What would you like to order, sir?" A quiet voice wakes me from my thoughts.

I stare up at those big, indigo eyes that could turn into deadly kakugans any moment and freeze. For ten awkward seconds, I stare.

"Ahem!" Touka taps me. "Your order, sir?"

Stuttering, I blush deeply before answering, "Uh, uh. Erm, um, um. I-I'll h-have an americano please."

Looking at me strangely, she jots down the order and asks if I wanted anything else. I shake my head and shiver as she heads over to the counter to make the drink. I catch Touka talking to Yoshimura, the old man with the warm smile in the beginning, in hushed tones. Most likely about me. The warm smile is gone and is replaced with a small frown. Sighing, I look out the window and ponder.

The cherry blossoms are in full bloom; rows of pink flowers wave in the breeze. The golden sun shines brightly over the street as pedestrians cheerfully walk in the _too_ warm rays. A couple passes me. Then, a small family of three. Family. It's been only a couple of hours now, and I'm missing my family. No matter how annoying they are. And yes, I even miss Kiki a bit. A bit, mind you. I'm not crying over her or anything. Oh God, how did get into this mess?

But, in the corner of my eye, I see two college boys walking towards the cafe. One is a small, black haired boy with a book bag clutched to his chest. His friend is a laughing teen with bleach blonde hair and headphones around his neck. Oh. My. God. It's fucking Kaneki and Hide!

I pale and scoot away from the window. " _They're coming in! Oh God, they're coming in!"_

The bell jingles again as the two friends enter the cafe. Another barrage of "Hello" and "Welcome to Anteiku", follows them as they slowly approach my table.

Hide stops laughing and talking once he sees me. "Yo, Kaneki! It seems that our table's been taken." He sighs and turns toward his friend, "Guess we have to move."

" _This is a once in a lifetime chance! Grab it, Dakota! Grab it!"_ My mind races, deciding what I should do next.

"Hey! It's no problem! I can move, if you want?" I start to rise from the table, clumsily collect my things and grow redder and redder as Kaneki suspiciously takes a nice long sniff at me.

"Hey! Don't sweat it! Is it OK if we can share?" Hide laughs it off after seeing my frazzled state. Kaneki just looks a bit overwhelmed. No brainer on that one! He's always overwhelmed! By everything! (Although, he does become a bit angst-y after the Aogiri Arc, but I'm not gonna tell him about that! Duh, spoilers!)

My mouth drop opens in shock. I am going sit and talk to Kaneki and Hide! Hide must have thought that my reaction was a bad one because he starts to back away.

"Okay, we're really sorry for the inconvenience. That was weird of us to ask of you. Yeah, we'll move."

Kaneki mouths an I'm sorry and plods off to an available table. I freeze as I watch the two friends slip from my grasp.

"No! Wait! It's fine! I'm don't mind sharing," I frantically call out to the friends.

Hide slowly turns around, looking at me with round eyes. And a wide smile breaks across his face. "Hey, man! Knew you were gonna come around! Thanks a lot!"

Hide high fives me like he knew me all his life, and slaps me on the back, while Kaneki just looks pissed.

"Hide! Hide! Hide, you're embarrassing us! Let's go find another table! Come on!" He whispers to his friend while tugging Hide's sleeve and mouthing several I'm sorry's at me.

"Kaneki, what the hell's wrong with you! The kid said we could sit with him! I trust him, so you're gonna have to deal with it or sit _alone._ "

"Yeah, but everyone's staring at us so we should leave him be! Don't we cause enough trouble by ourselves!"

And the whole cafe is, unfortunately, staring at that one small table next to the window. I gulp and slowly descend into my seat, heat rising to my face. Kaneki does the same while Hide, still standing, shouts quite obnoxiously to the crowd, "ごめんなさい!" ( **A/N: This means: "I'm sorry!")**

"Hide! Hide! Get down! Oh my God, you are causing a scene!" Kaneki whispers loudly to the still standing and now bowing Hide.

The cafe returns to normalcy _after_ Kaneki, finally, convinces Hide to sit down. Touka brings my now lukewarm coffee and quickly leaves before eyeing me and my two new friends.

After whispering into Kaneki's ear, Hide looks up at Touka with a mischievous glint in his eyes.

"EXCUSE ME! CAN I ORDER?! I'LL HAVE A CAPPUCCINO!" Hide hollers at the fleeing, purple haired waitress before turning towards Kaneki, "How about you?"

Kaneki's face crinkles into annoyance. "I'm fine! Calm down Hide!"

A flustered Touka frantically tries to keep up with Hide as he also asks her for her name.

"K-Kirishima Touka…"

Hide smiles widely and leans in close, whispering, "Kirishima-san, do you have a boyfriend?"

I chuckle as Touka runs away even more embarrassed than before. Kaneki turns toward Hide with an outraged look on his face.

"Hide, stop doing that, you idiot! Don't scare her! This is the only place where I have a connection with her! What will I do if I get kicked out!"

A defensive Hide starts to respond, but I butt in, "So, you have a crush! Who is she? No, let me guess!"

Kaneki and Hide stare at me weirdly. They both scream at the same time, "YOU'RE A PSYCHIC?"

"No! I just know that she has~ Oh my God! I need to leave! Here, I'll send you my he phone number (Strangely, my mobile doesn't work but my landline does. Thank you time loop gods!)."

With that, I messily scribble a note onto a napkin, grab my stuff, toss a few 100 ¥ coins and flee the cafe, bumping into a girl while trying to exit Anteiku. The girl had long purple hair and glasses. _Kamishiro Rize!_ I lower my head and hurry on out, shivering the whole way.

* * *

 **Touka's POV**

The strange boy left the shop as quickly as he came in. He seemed to recognize Kamishiro Rize because he gasped again and fled the shop.

My suspicions were confirmed when he did that. He definitely knows that ghouls exist. What confuses me is why he gasped when he saw the two _very_ annoying boys and didn't recognize any of the other ghouls in the room. This boy knows something. I'm going to find that out, even if I have to torture him to get it out.

* * *

 **Kaneki's POV**

I glance at the folded napkin and back at the violet haired woman. Should I risk it? Should I even trust this guy? I mean, for all I know, this kid is crazy! He even smells like a girl! Just to be safe though...

I slowly unfold the napkin. My hands are shaking.

 _The girl you have a crush on is Kamishiro Rize. She has violet hair and glasses. Whatever you do, do NOT approach her! She is very dangerous! If I were you, I would cut all connections with her, that means never coming to this shop again. This is for your own safety. Call me if you have any questions._

 _813-555-5893_

* * *

 **A/N: I'm very, very sorry for the wait. Procrastination, laziness, and just being really busy is basically the whole month of July. I'm probably going to upload chapters monthly, sorry. :(**

 **Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! For reviewing and fav/following!**

 **Thank you: BloodySilver** **, Hidrome, Halfeyedknight1, Jordanjazlyn, Makesomehassel**

 **Guest- Here are the interactions. I highly doubt you're still reading this but thank you for reviewing**

 **Wuhan Lin- Don't know much about Re: Zero but have researched it. And yeah, it's kinda like it. Kinda.**

 **Please don't forget to review, fav/follow and correct any mistakes.**


	4. Chapter 4: Phone Calls and Kisses

**Dakota's POV**

" _Hide! You need to hide!"_ My mind yells at me to bury deeper into the dark cocoon of blankets and pillows. I can still see the look on Rize's face playing on repeat in my head. First, a confused look as she tries to uncover my true scent beneath all the artificial perfumes. Then, a small smile grows slowly as she finds the hidden me. Laughing quietly, Rize passes me with such a hunger in her eye it makes me visibly shudder in fear. I know she's toying with me, playing with my mind, twisting and torturing it until I finally break and flee from those eyes. Those evil, conniving, purple eyes.

Shivering, I shake my head from the memory and take deep breaths. I don't want another panic attack. The last one got my ass kicked by a car and killed me! My breath and heart eventually slow down, and I smile at my achievement… only to be disturbed by a loud ring of a phone.

I hobble weakly to the phone in the kitchen, still a little shaken from my mad flee home (which included knocking over some old ladies, deliberately ignoring traffic lights, and smashing into vehicles at 10 mph). I don't recognise the number on the screen but I still reach for the phone while clutching onto the countertop with white knuckles.

"H-hello? Is this the boy I met at Anteiku?" A timid voice quietly calls out. I gasp. I know this voice. This is Kaneki Ken.

"Kaneki, told you this guy is a lunatic! I bet he was just trying to play a prank on us. Move on. No one's answering," Hide's voice echoes from the background.

I growl fiercely. I will not be called crazy. I have gone through way too much shit to deserve this. I summon strength from my pride as I pull the phone closer to my mouth.

"Yes, this is he," I icily shoot back. Some static follows as well as many thumps before Kaneki's voice breaks the uncomfortable silence.

"I'm so sorry for the inconvenience. Hide was being an idiot, as always," he chuckles.

I find myself also chuckling as I respond, "Hey! No problem! Not that it's his fault! I mean I did cover myself in girl lotion and perfume. Believe me that was torture on a whole other level!" I laugh again, enjoying myself (finally) for the first time since I woke up.

After sniggering for at least a whole minute, Kaneki pauses suddenly. His voice is lower as he speaks again, "Why did you do it?"

I laugh again, unaware of his seriousness and still a bit 'high', "Why I did it, you say? Are you really that stupid? The answer is so simple! I mean we live with them!" I crack up again, knowing that if Kaneki doesn't already think that I am insane before, he would now. "Haven't you already guessed? It's because of the ghouls! Duh, you idiot!" I start to chuckle again but calm down once I realize the silence from the other side of the phone.

"So, you're telling me that ghouls… exist? Oh God, I thought that I would get some real answers like why Rize-san is so dangerous and all I find are more questions and a maniac! Now, tell right now, what the fuck is going on!?" Kaneki's voice is strained from keeping in his rage and frustration.

I gulp silently before lowering my voice into a more serious tone, "Yes, ghouls exist. And, I'm afraid Kamishiro-san is a ghoul. A rather voracious one too. Like I said on the note, stay away from her or even better, stay away from Anteiku. Just stay away."

"Wow, that the best you got? Are you serious? You think I'm that stupid! It's gonna take a lot more than your word to prove that my new girlfriend is a man-eating monster! Now goodbye!" Kaneki snarls, completely dismissing the fact that I told him to _stay away_ from ghouls.

"Wait, you _already_ asked her out! I told you not to!"

"Why should I listen to you, you weirdo?" And with that Ken Kaneki hangs up on me and I have just created my first enemy and he's not even a ghoul.

I tightly grip the phone and grind my teeth in frustration. Why can't he listen! I slam the phone back down and sigh loudly.

"So, you know ghouls," a voice grumbles smugly behind me. I turn around slowly, afraid of what is behind me and find Touka Kirishima glaring at me from her seat at my dining table.

Me eyes widen in horror as I stutter, "H-how d-did you c-come in?"

She looks at me strangely, "Your front door was wide open, idiot. It's obvious what happened after that. Now tell me how you know about ghouls!" Venom drips from each word as Touka slowly gets up from her seat and stalks towards me. I back up further and further from the angry purple-haired teen until my back bumps painfully against the countertop.

"I-I know that you are a ghoul, Kirishima Touka!" Fear shakes the confidence from my voice as Touka leans in close, glaring at me.

"H-how d-do you k-know?" Her face contorts into shock and she pulls back but she recovers and wipes her face from all emotion, her kakugan activating. "Then you will understand why I must kill you."

I start to choke on my own breath in fear and my heartbeat accelerates and I feel like I want to shit in my pants (I kinda did. Don't tell anyone!). I know another panic attack is blooming inside my chest, ready to burst into a storm of shallow, fast breaths and bruised body parts. From that point on, everything is in slow-mo.

Dark red and black flames slowly grow before my eyes. One is large and powerful while the other is much smaller and insignificant. These beauties will be the death of me, literally. They painstakingly crystallize before me. I have only a few seconds before I die (again). So I do the one thing that pops into my mind, completely gut instinct.

I kiss Touka Kirishima. To be honest, it is the worst kiss ever. Her breath is really gross. Imagine morning breath after having a nosebleed the night before. I don't know who pulls away first, me or her. I push her away (or she pushes me) and start to retch, bending over and leaning onto the countertop for support.

* * *

 **Touka's POV**

" _Oh My Fucking God! He did not just do that!"_ I step back and watch as the insolent boy gags his lungs out. Jeez, my breath isn't that bad, is it? Well, I haven't really brushed my teeth in a long time and I did just eat…

"Pull yourself together! That's very rude, you know. Kissing a girl and then pulling away!" I growl, pulling him up and tugging his collar closer to me and purposefully breathing onto his face. He cringes and wrinkles up his nose in disgust. I swear his eyes almost roll back into their sockets from the smell. This guy is pathetic! I let go of his collar and kick him up.

"You show me right now where you got this information or so help me God I will kill you and eat your remains!" I drag the boy to the front door. He suddenly jerks awake like he was in a daze before and starts pulling me the other way.

"No! No! It's not any evidence I can..." the boy's voice slows down like he is remembering something, "show you… That's it! I can show you the books! C'mon!"

I'm quickly jolted off my feet as the crazed teen drags me to a room which is obviously his. Clothes and trash litter the floor and a dark blue mess of blankets and pillows occupy the middle of the bed. Suddenly, he jerks me to the left where a bookshelf stands. One Piece. Naruto. Dragonball Z. Bleach. Hunter x Hunter. Full Metal Alchemist. Death Note. Kuroko's Basketball. And the last one, the one that piques my interest: Tokyo Ghoul. All are book series that make up the giant bookshelf dominating a whole wall on its own.

He fumbles to reach for the first volume of Tokyo Ghoul and flips through the pages as if he is looking for something.

" _Is this some sort of manuscript on all of the ghouls in Tokyo?"_ I question myself as I try to peek at the cover. The picture shocks me. It is a painting of the kid with the annoying friend, the shy kid who regularly comes to Anteiku to oogle at Rize-san. He looks exactly the same except for two major problems: he has a kakugan and wears the Anteiku uniform.

"No! No! No! NO! I don't get it! How can it not be there! It was just here this morning! Gah!" The boy cries out in frustration. I lean in close to see what the problem is.

The pages, they're completely blank. Every single one of them. Except for wet splashes that mar the clean, pure pages.

"It was there! I had the future in my hands! IT WAS ALL THERE! YOU CAN'T DO THIS TO ME!" He screams and violently throws the book across the room. Angry tears stains his cheeks and blur his blue eyes. He sobs again and starts to speak but his voice cracks, "Y-you think l-l'm crazy, don't you?"

I reach to touch his face, wondering why I'm believing his insane words, and smile, "No, I don't but you're gonna have to prove it to me."

* * *

 **A/N: This was actually very easy to write. Sorry if it seems very boring but this is just a filler. And no I will not be shipping Touka and Dakota because I'm that type of person and TouKen is OTP.**

 **Thank you to followers! Thank** **you: Alyria022011, AsamiAiko, Cats are my World, CyberQueen and Lizyeh2000 and everyone I said thank you to last time.**

 **BloodySilver- How's this reaction to Touka?**

 **Cliff- You have no idea..**

 **Guest and Tom (guest)- Love that you guys are reading! Thx!**

 **Lizyeh2000- Lucky day! I'm early! Hoorah! :D**

 **Makesomehassel- An update! Yay! Finally! Hallelujah! Lmao! XD**


	5. Chapter 5: D-Day

**Touka's POV**

 **"** Kaneki Ken will be transformed into a ghoul if he goes out with Kamishiro Rize. We need to stop Kanou from changing Ken." I watch warily at the pacing boy before me as he tries to 'prove' that this isn't some sort delusion in his 'sane' mind.

"So, you're telling me that humans can turn into ghouls? And who is this Kanou guy you keep rambling about?" I say in disbelief while cleaning some dirt off of my fingernails. The boy glares at me in annoyance.

"I told you already. Kanou is the doctor who will implant Rize's organs into Ken. Listen! And this is all true!"

Sighing, I stand up and stretch, yawning loudly, "Why should I care about this Kaneki Ken? I mean as long as he doesn't disrupt my life, I don't really fucking care what happens to him. And you shouldn't too. There is a lot more shit in this world to worry about. Isn't that what Tokyo Ghoul is all about?" I gesture to the smashed book lying on the floor.

"Um, it's actually about Kaneki Ken and how he survives as a one-eyed ghoul."

"Okay… what does this have to do with me?" I cross my arms and look up at him questioningly. He takes a deep breathe before continuing, like what he will say next would scare me. " _Like that will happen,"_ I scoff to myself.

"I need you to kill Kamishiro Rize."

"Are you serious?! Do you know how suicidal that is? Nobody, I mean _nobody_ messes with Rize. And it's also bad for the shop. The Manager is gonna freak once he finds out. And when other ghouls find out, they're gonna stop coming to Anteiku 'cuz we kill our customers," I say. God, I can't believe this guy!

"If I didn't know better, I'd say you're _scared_ ," he laughs smugly in my face. Growling, I breathe onto his face again and slap him. This punk has the nerve to say that I'm scared of some voracious ghoul bitch. It's gonna take a lot more than that to scare Touka Kirishima!

"Don't ever say that to me again!" I growl. "I'll do it, but don't say I didn't warn you!"

The boy winces in pain, rubbing his red cheek while pinching his nose and retching. "It's not gonna be that hard. Jeez, don't be so defensive! All you have to do is drop some beams onto her! Easy peasy. And don't worry about it being 'bad for the shop'. We won't tell _Yoshimura_!"

"Wait, how do you know the Manager's name?" I stare up at him shock; this boy is filled with too many surprises.

"Um, it was on his name tag. Was I supposed to _not know_?" He looks at me with a stare that heats my cheeks. I suddenly feel very foolish and back off. Although, not that far away. I still need to punish him if he makes anymore bratty comments.

"Yeah, how observant of you," I scoff, trying to fix my broken pride. "Speaking of names, what _your_ name, cheeky shithead?"

Now it was the brat's turn to be all red and embarrassed. I smile smugly as he stutters out the words. "ダコタ・ウォーカー."

"Dakota Walker? You American?" I say incredulously, amazed with his Japanese which was perfect, although a little too textbook.

He nods and grins cheekily at me. "I bet my Japanese is better than yours!"

"Oh, shut up!" I say. "So, what's your _oh so incredible plan_ to kill Kamishiro Rize."

"Today is Monday."

"I know that, idiot! Tell me something I don't know!"

"We have four days until Rize makes her move on Friday night. We must prepare and plan during those days," Dakota continues, ignoring my comment. I sigh and settle back onto the bed, bracing myself for a _very long and boring_ lecture.

* * *

 **Dakota's POV**

"...and that's how we are going to save Ken and kill Rize," I proudly finish with a wide grin on my face. I look down at Touka to see if she comprehended it at all, only to find her half asleep on my bed.

I cautiously inch toward her to wake her up, but before I can even touch her, she stands up with a start, and I freeze.

"What the hell were you thinking? Were you gonna touch me, you perv?!" she growls at me. I squeak in fright and push my still pointing arm down.

"Uh-uh, n-no."

Touka frowns at me and walks away from the bed. "I heard you, alright? I'll do it. Where do I have to be and at what time?"

I breathe out in relief, happy that she isn't _that_ mad at me. "The address is 1-8-9 Oizumimachi, Nerima-ku. Be there by 6pm, on top of the construction site and be prepared."

"Yeah, yeah, I know where that is." She nods and starts to walk out the door. Before she can leave, I stop her.

"Hey, Touka? Be careful, alright?"

She turns towards me, reluctantly smiles and says, "Yeah, thanks."

* * *

 **Friday Afternoon**

Today is the day, the day when Rize makes her move. But we'll be ready. Touka and I, we'll be ready, I hope.

I finally track Ken and Rize at a small, local bookstore and stealthily enter the almost empty shop (ignore the jingling bells when I opened the door). I duck under a book rack before bending down and tiptoeing to the horror section, feeling the trailing stares of the customers as I pass them (And no, I am _not_ wearing perfume this time!).

The two college kids crowd around a certain book, giggling and muttering (Rize is giggling and Ken is muttering). I narrow my eyes at the scene and lunge at the couple but end up tripping and landing on my face. Fuck! My luck couldn't get any better today, could it?!

"W-what the hell are you doing here?" A horrified Ken whirls around to find me massaging a rather large and red bump on my head. And to make things worse, Rize _just happened to notice my very discreet fall!_

"Yo, wassup," I say, chuckling weakly at the pair. I push myself up and dust myself before smiling and sticking out my hand out to the violet-haired beauty.

"Are you alright?" She clasps my hand tightly, and her face oozes with fake concern.

"Hehe! I'm fine. You're Rize, right?" I scratch my head while trying to act flustered. Ken glares at me from the sidelines.

"Rize-san! Would you be so nice and excuse Dakota-kun and me?" Ken rudely butts in with a cheerful smile but shoots daggers at me as he drags me away from his date.

"What the hell are you doing here?! I told you to stay away from me, you creep!" Ken whispers/screams through clenched teeth.

"I'm saving your life, idiot! Why else would I be risking my ass for you!? Rize is a monster!" I sneak a glance at the waiting girl who smiles brightly and waves energetically back at me. Ken just also happens to be looking at her at the same time.

"Yeah, right!" He smirks, facing towards me. "I will say this again. Leave me and my friends alone!" With that, he stomps back to his death *cough* I mean his date.

Sighing, I flip open my now working phone (Thank God!) and call Touka. "Hey, um, bad news."

"What now, Baka?! I'm with my friend! You can't just call me when something bad happens!" An annoyed huff comes from the receiver.

" _Touka-chaan! Get off the phone!_ " A high pitched, cheery voice echoes from the background.

I sigh and respond, "I just need to let you know that I failed with Kaneki. I thought that he would have some more sense in him but Rize really hooked him in. I'm putting Kaneki's life in your hands now. I really need you to succeed."

"Yeah, sure. That makes me feel _soo much better_."

"You're still in though?"

"I made a promise, idiot!"

"Okay! Okay!"

I hang up and close the phone. I look back at the horror section and see that the couple is gone. _Great, now they have a head start!_

* * *

 **Kaneki's POV**

"Wow! It's amazing how similar we are! I mean we have the same blood type, choice of books and even the same age," I say to the beautiful girl next to me.

Giggling, she responds, "If I didn't know any better, I'd say that we were meant to be together! Like a fairytale!"

"Really? You think so?" I say. How could Rize be a monster? She couldn't hurt a fly if she wanted to! No one was sweeter and nicer than she. I smirk at the thought of the freaky stalker boy. _I guess you weren't so right after all. What could possibly go wrong?_

I smile as Rize snuggles closer to me. Her long, purple hair tumbles down her back in soft waves, slightly mussed from our walk. She clutches my arm and breathes in the crisp night air deeply as we past two highschool girls.

One of them, a fierce looking girl with short, indigo hair, seems to be slowly tracking us, never taking her heated glare off of us or more importantly off of Rize. I shake my head to clear my clear. _I'm just being a bit paranoid, that's all. There is absolutely nothing dangerous about Kamishiro Rize._ But still, the mysterious boy's warning got through me. I look back at Rize, who smiles back at me with bright eyes.

"Thank you for today, Kaneki-san. I had lots of fun today," she softly speaks while untangling herself from my arms and clutching her bags.

I grin back at her, heat travelling up to my face. "No, no! It was my pleasure…I had fun too! Well, I'd better be going. I'm the other direction."

Suddenly, Rize's face falls. Her quiet happiness gone and replaced with fear. "Oh, Kaneki-san, m-my house is c-close to the T-Takada Building an-and-." Her already quiet voice drops down to a whisper, "-recently, there was an incident."

"Oh, the ghoul…" I respond, a bit uncertain on what to do. "Rize-san, don't worry. I'll walk you home if you want me to."

"Really!? Oh, thank you, Kaneki-san!" Her face breaks into a relieved smile. I return the smile but internally, my stomach clenches. Why am I dreading this walk back to her home?

* * *

 **Dakota's POV**

I could see the couple stroll just a several yards away from my hiding spot. _So very close._ My heart is thudding in my chest, waiting to burst out. Hopefully, Rize is too far away to smell me...or Touka.

They're too far away for me to hear their conversation, but the train bell rings clear through the air. I stare intently at Rize, waiting for her to pounce onto Ken. And pounce onto him she does.

The echoes of Ken's screams ring throughout the abandoned street. Eerie, red swirls rise off of Rize's back. And then it comes. Four, blood-red tentacles shoot out of her back and hang in the dark, posed to kill.

Ken starts to run but is quickly pulled back by a tentacle and stabbed in the side by two quick others. Everything after that seems to go in slow-mo: Ken's eyes bulge out of their sockets, he coughs up blood which drips down his chin and into his collar, and Rize's demented laughter howls above the dull thud of Ken's body falling onto a wall. I throw down the binoculars after that, afraid of what will happen next, but, like masochist I am, I pick it up again. _Come on, Touka! Now, Touka!_ But the beams never come.

I pale in horror as Rize saunters over to Ken. She roughly picks him by the hair and slams him over and over again onto the wall. The maroon liquid gushes out of Ken's limp body and he sways like pendulum under the ghoul's grip.

With an evil chuckle, Rize proceeds to tear into Kaneki's torso. She rips out a handful of bloody intestines, long red strings that seem to never end, and devours it in a frantic gusto. Rize's once white dress is drenched in blood, and her glasses are splattered with crimson. Her eyes glow lustfully as she dives into the now probably dead body of Kaneki Ken.

A sinking feeling of guilt grows in my stomach, and I vomit into the bushes from the sickening feeling of failure and from the sheer amount of gore I just saw. Then, a loud boom shatters the disgusting sounds of flesh being torn and the perverted groans of Rize.

I slowly look into the binoculars, afraid of what it may show me. The beams that were suppose to fall several minutes ago lay on of the bloodbath from before. But what lies ontop makes me gasp in horror. _A dark figure in a white rabbit mask!_

"TOUKA! TOUKA! Shit! Touka, wake up! Talk to me! What happened?! Don't you dare die, goddammit!" I holler as I race towards the beams.

The figure in front of me is nothing like the the healthy, whole girl I saw this morning. One of Touka's arms have been ripped out of its socket while the other is bent out shape. A whole chunk of her right waist is missing as well as her left leg. Half of Touka's mask broke and revealed a bloody and very empty eye socket. She looks like a sacrificial offering that has been torn apart by wild dogs. Whoever did this was a very powerful ghoul or a skilled Investigator and that scared me.

"Da...ko...ta…" A hoarse whisper wheezed out of the husk of a girl. "I...am...sorry...I was...not...strong...enough…"

"Shh, shh. No! You did good, real good! You're strong. You can heal. I'll get you to Anteiku. You'll get better, I promise." My voice cracks as I tell her and myself lies that everything is going to be alright. Something wet drips down my cheek, and I wipe it away, not caring that I was crying.

A bloody cough shakes Touka's broken body as she tries to speak. "Clowns...betray...find...ut-" She gasps before exhaling her last.

* * *

 **A/N: I feel so evil! I just killed off two main characters! T-T God, must have been :Re Ch90 vibes! There will be minor SPOILERS for :Re but they're not that big and shocking, I think. And Dakota has not read :Re so he does NOT know any of this but I will be including :Re in this just to fuck him up! :D If you don't agree with the death of Kaneki and I realize that my plot ideas in this timeline won't work without Kaneki, I will change this chapter. But Touka stays dead in this timeline.**

 **I'm very sorry for the wait. School and sport and being very lazy and writer's block really delayed me. But here's an e** **xtra long chapter for an extra long wait! Thank you to new followers! Thank you: Arye7, DarkAltair, theonewholovestoship, ParanoidParrot076, almakarma18 and**

 **SOs:**

 **Lizyeh2000- Told you, I don't ship them!**

 **BloodySilver- Haha! Glad I made you laugh! I will put in some funnies later but the next few chapters are gonna be a bit serious and angsty.**

 **Hidrome- Thank you for the compliments! It really makes me happy to see that other people enjoy what I write. Hopefully this is up to your standards.**

 **makesomehassel- You're very welcome!**

 **PLEASE REVIEW, FAV/FOLLOW AND CORRECT ANY MISTAKES!**


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